It turns out that not only facial expressions, gestures and speech can tell about a person what he is trying to hide from prying eyes. There are many pathologies of the musculoskeletal system and nervous system, which can be detected only by looking at the gait.
We present you 10 characteristic signs of an altered gait, indicating certain health problems.
10. Shortening the pitch when cornering and maneuvering
In the process of maintaining balance, vision, the inner ear, and that part of the nervous system that enables the joints to signal the brain about its position in space are involved. If in one of these physiological mechanisms some kind of “failure” occurs, then a person begins to disturb equilibrium and change the step size.
9.
This type of walking is typical for people with flat feet. It may seem to someone that flat feet can be easily detected without being a specialist: a person suffering from such a defect has almost no so-called arch on the inside of the foot, which makes the sole seem absolutely flat. However, a similar change in the type of walking can occur as a result of other pathologies, for example, acute bursitis (inflammation of the synovial joint bag) of the big toe or neuroma (a benign tumor formed from plantar nerve tissue). In these cases, not only gait deformation takes place, but also severe pain syndrome associated with the inflammatory process or abnormal proliferation of tissue.
8. Sluggish and slow pace
American scientists, based on the results of numerous clinical studies in which more than 30 thousand people took part, concluded that people with a slow gait have a relatively short life span. The direct relationship between walking speed and the number of years lived is explained by the fact that the first indicator is greatly affected by overweight, the presence of chronic diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system, which in themselves are risk factors for sudden death for people over 60 years of age. Therefore, having a slow walk, you should not begin to learn to walk faster. It is much more effective to try to influence the root cause of the problem, thereby increasing your chances of living a long life.
7.
In American films about cowboys, very often the main characters have just such a gait. However, in real life, such a spatial position of the joints may indicate the presence of osteoarthritis. According to statistics, more than 80% of people with this diagnosis go “cavalry”, especially for those who suffer from the senile form of the disease.
Osteoarthritis is a complex chronic disease, however, if you contact a specialist in a timely manner, you can alleviate the condition of the patient and avoid the development of serious complications.
6. Walking on the tips of the fingers of both legs
With this type of gait, the tips of the toes touch the floor before the heel, while normally the opposite should happen. Such a violation occurs due to the hypertonicity of the corresponding muscles, provoked by a malfunction in the functioning of the central nervous system. Usually a similar symptom appears in people suffering from cerebral palsy or having spinal cord injury.
5. Slight waved hands while walking
A healthy person, taking a step with his left foot, takes his right hand back. This mechanism is due to structural features of the spine. This kind of muscle interaction is done to maintain the lower back.
In the event that when walking a person does not make characteristic swings with his hands, this may indicate the presence of certain problems with the spine. When the physiological mechanism, which involves the coordinated movements of different muscle groups that control the upper, lower limbs and spinal column, is disturbed, then the spine does not receive proper support, because of which the entire musculoskeletal system suffers.
4. The arch of one foot is more pronounced and / or the thigh is slightly recessed
A similar violation indicates a difference in the length of the lower extremities. An orthopedist can identify this pathology by various methods. However, usually it is enough for him to simply observe the gait and study the structure of the feet.
Due to the fact that a shortened limb needs to overcome a much greater distance to reach the floor, the pelvis gradually begins to deform. Experts argue that the characteristic signs of these disorders can be detected with the naked eye, just by looking at the back: a fold in the lumbar region from the side of a longer leg will be less pronounced.
3. Shuffling
Shuffling is a characteristic sign of the development of a severe neurological disorder - Parkinson's disease. In this case, in order to rearrange the leg forward or even just take the foot off the ground, a person suffering from this disease spends tremendous efforts, which results in a shuffling gait. A similar symptom occurs as a result of neuromuscular dysfunction.
In addition to these signs, Parkinson's disease is manifested by severe tremor of the extremities. This is due to a violation of the physiological connection between the centers of the brain and muscles.
2. Prancing gait
This is one of the most unusual types of walking. Here, a person, taking every step, practically makes a small jump. This is observed in the presence of overdeveloped calf muscles. Typically, such a gait is observed in women who prefer to wear high-heeled shoes. Therefore, it is advisable for women to periodically alternate wearing high-heeled shoes with shoes with low wide heels or with flat soles.
1. Walking at your fingertips
This symptom clearly indicates some violation of the symmetry of the body, which is a characteristic sign of a stroke. However, it happens that this symptom appears in people infected with the causative agent of poliomyelitis.